Steering axle and wheel.



H. C.- MARMON.

STEERING AXLE AND WHEEL.

APPLICATION FIL'EDAUG- 1| 1912. 1,137,996 Patented May 4, 1915 2SHEETS-SHEET I.

I l l I H. C. MARMON.

STEERING AXLE AND WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG.|. 1912.

1, 1 37,996, Pa'tehted May 4, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HOWARD'G. MAME'CN, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

s'rnuo AXLE Ann wnnnn mete;

Specification ofL etters Pateut.

' Application filed August 1, 1912. Serial No: 312,720.

T0 allwhom it'may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and thefiollowin s a specification.

State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful? Steering-Axle and-Wheel, of which The objjec of my invention is to produce a,steeringfaxle and wheel structure for automobiles, which shallbe verycompact and at the same time very strong, which shall have the steeringaxis of the wheel substantially v in the. planeof the wheel, which shallpro- Thefixed. axle 10 is bifurcated at each end and between its u perand lower arms 11 "and 12 at each; en ls'mounted, a frame or cage 13movable relatively'to the axle 10 about an axis intersecting said armsand substantiall perpendicular to the axis of the axle. T e' cage 18 isbuilt to receive upper and lbwer tapered bushings 14,- which areclamped, i11,; n% by bolts 15' and nuts 16,v the Patter convenientlybeing provided with curved fin-cw fitting against the inner surfaceofithecage. The bushings 14' pro ject beyond the upper and lowersurfaces of the cage, and between such projecting endsand the. arms 11and 1'2 are suitable roller or other anti-friction beaifings 17'. Thearms 11 and 12 are conveniently drilled through to allow the readyinsertion and removal of the bushings 14, the openings being closed bysuitable caps 18.

Projecting longitudinally through the cage 13' is a s indle 20, which isintegral with or otherwise attached to the hub 21 of the vehicle wheel,the spokes 22 of such wheel being clamped between a fiange 23 of suchhub'and a removable flange 24. The axis of the spindle 20 is inclinedslightly to the axis of the axle 10, as shown by chain and I dottedlines in Fig. 1, so that the plime of the wheel is slightly' canted fromthe vertical or is a slight ansle to the steering 'tudinal section; I

the arms 11, as also shown by chain and dots ted lines in Fig. 1. -The,axes of rotation of the spindle 20' and the cage l3 intersect in theplane of the wheel. Roller or other anti-friction bearings 25 and 26areloceted between the spindle 20 and the cage at the outer andinnerends ofthecage eetivelxg: or on opposite sides of theaxis o rotation ofthe cage and of the plane of the wheel,

Patented May s, i9

I axis about which the cage 13 turns between i C; MARMON,

the bearing 25 being held in place by a cap 27 screwed into the outerend of the cage and the bearing 26 by a. nut 28 screwed on the end ofthespindle 20. The nut 28 is covered by a cap 29 which fits over theinner end of the cage 13.

The nut 28 isprovided with a spiral gear I 31, which meshes with aspiral pinion 32 on i a; small vertical shaft 33 suitably moimted in thecap. 29. A shaft 34, 'extend' lioriswiveled to the cap 29 on the axis ofthe shaft 33, the shafts 33 and 34 beingoonnect' ed by bevel gear-in 36.The shaft 34 isconzonta.lly, is mounted in a tube 35. 3;? d, is"

nected by a suita le flexible shaft, loceted' in the tube 37, to aspeedometer..- Integral with the cage 1-3 is a lateral extension 51which is bored to receive the end;

of the steering arm; or lever 52; The arm 52 is projfected'through: aneccentric'o iening" in a -guard attached I to the 'cago- 13; Plate 53'has an external diameter substantially fitting the interior of plate 53and the plate 53- is also.

at various points as indicated at 54 the fl'augeQl so as to serve as aguard to pre- Wheel huh. I

1'. In combination a fixedezgl'e" haying it's end bifurcated to form;upper and, lower vent the entry of dirt into, the interior oi the arms;a cage pivotally mounted between said arms on an axis intersecting said,and substantially perpendicular to the axis 1 of the axle, a spindlemountedin such cage on an axis which lei-canted sli; htly i rela tivelyto the axis ofs'aid axle an intersects the axis on which the cageisfirotatable, and

a vehiclewheel fixed on such spindle, the plane of such wheelintersecting the axis on which the cage is rotatable at aDQlB'il'fwithin the cage structure.

2. In combination, a fixed axle'ha ving its end bifurcated to form upperand lower arms, a cage pivotally mounted between said arms on an axisintersecting said arms and substantially perpendicular to the axis of iQII'n combination,

. the axle, a spindle mounted in such cage on ram-axis which is cantedslightly relatively to the axis of said axle and intersects the axis onwhich the cage is rotatable, and a vehicle 5 wheel fixed on suchspindle.

3. In combination, a fixed axle having its end bifurcated to form upperand lower arms, a cage pivotally mounted between said arms on anaxisinte'rsecting said arms, a spindle mounted in such cage and havingits axis slightly inclined vertically from the axis of the axle andintersecting the pivotal axis of the cage, and a vehicle wheel fixed onsuch spindle. v 4. In combination, a fixed axle, a cage pivotallymounted in one end of said axle on an'axis transverse to the axis of theaxle, anti-friction bearingsbetween said cage and said axle, a spindleextending longitudinally through said cage and having its axis slightlyinclined "ertically from the axis of the axle and" intersecting thepivotal axis of the cage, anti-friction bearings between saic'tspindleand said cage on each side of the axis on which the cage is rotatable,and a vehicle wheel fixed on said spindle.

5. In combination, a fixed axle, a cage pivotally mounted in one end ofsaid axle on 'an axis transverse to the axis of the axle, a spindleextending logitudially through said cage and having its axis slightlyincllned vertically from the axis of the axle and mtersecting thepivotal axis of the cage, and a vehicle wheel fixed on said spindle.

6. In combination, a fixed axle, a cage pivotally mounted in one end ofsaid axle on an axis transverse to the axis of the axle, anti-frictionbearings between said cage and; said axle, a spindle extendinglongitudinally through said cage and having its axis slightly inclinedvertically from the ,axis of the axle and intersecting the pivotal axisof the' cage, anti-friction bearings between said spindle and said cage,and a vehicle wheel fixed on said spindle.-

7. In combination, a fixed axle, a ca 0 pivotally mounted in one end ofsaid ax e on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of theaxle, a spindle extending longitudinally through said cage, and avehicle wheel fixed on said spindle, the axis of 'thespindle and theaxison .which the cage is rotatable intersecting in the plane of theWheelat an oblique angle. In combination, an axle, a vehicle wgeel,andaframe on which said vehicle W eel isrotatably otally mounted on theaxle, the axis of ro- "tation'of the-wheel and the axis of rotation Ithewheelat anobliqueangle substantially vertical bearing-carryingtubular cage arranged between thetwo bearing pockets, and a pair mountedand which is piv- 'ofthe-frameintersecting in the plane of an axlehaving two bearing pockets, a

of gudgeon pins removably mounted in and projecting radially from saidcage and into the bearing pockets, each of said gudgeon pins having atapered fit in saidcage and being bored longitudinally, a bolt extendingthrough the bore of each gudgeon pin, a clamping nut associated witheach of said bolts, said nuts and bolts coiiperating to hold saidgudgeon pins in place in the cage by bearing against the outer ends ofthe gudgeon pins and an inner surface of the cage, and a Wheel rotatablyassociated with said cage. 1 c

10. In combination, an axle having two substantially vertical bearingpockets, a bearing-carrying tubular cage arranged between the twobearing pockets, a. pair of gudgeon pins removably mounted in andprojecting radially from said cage and into the bearing pockets,-aclamping bolt extending through each of said' gudgeon pins, a clamping'nut associated with each of said bolts to clamp the gudgeon pins inplace, and a wheel rotatably associated with said cage.

11. In combination, an axle, a vehicle wheel, and a frame on which saidvehicle wheel is rotatably mounted and which is substantially vertical,bearing pockets, a'

bearingcarrying tubular cage arranged between the two bearing pockets, apair of gudgeon pins removably mounted in and projecting radially fromsaid cage and into the bearing pockets, anti-friction bearingssurrounding the projecting ends of said gudgeon pins and located in saidbearing pockets, a clamping bolt extending through each of said gudgeonpins, a clamping nut associated with, each of said bolts to clamp thegudgeon pins in place, and a wheel rotatably associated with said cage.

13. In combination, an axle having two substantially vertical bearingpockets, a bearing-carrying tubular cage arranged between the twobearing pockets, a pair of gudgeon pins Which-have a tapered fit in saidtubular cage and project radially therefrom and into the bearingpockets, the smaller ends of such pins being toward the center of thecage, means for'clamping said gudgeon pins in said tubular cage, and a'end bifurcated to form upper and lower arms, each of said arms having init a substantially. verticalv bearing pocket on its inner race and anaperture extending from such bearing pocketv through to its outer llO ''bearing pocket through to its outer face, a bearing-carrying tubularcage arranged between the two arms, gudgeon pins removface, abearing-carrying tubular cage arremovably mounted in saidbearing-carrying cage and projecting outwardly there from into the twobearing pockets, but'having their outer ends short of the outer faces ofsaid arms, means for removably clamping said gudgeon pins in place insaid bearmg-carrymg cage, said gudgeon pins being removable through theapertures which extend from the bearing pockets to the outer faces ofthe two arms of the axle, and a wheel rotatably associated with saidcage.

15. In combination, an axle having its end bifurcated to form upper andlower arm's, each of said arms having in it a substantially verticalbearing pocket on its inner face and an aperture extending from suchably mounted in said bearing-carrying cage and projecting outwardlytherefrom into the two bearing ockets, but having their outer ends shortof the outer faces of said arms, means for removably clamping saidgudgeon pins in place in said bearing-carrying cage, said gudgeon pinsbeing removable through the apertures which extend from the bearingpockets to the outer faces of the two arms of the axle, a spindlemounted within said hearing-carryin' cage, and a wheel carried on saidspmdle and projecting over the outer ends of the gudgeon pins.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this th day of July, A. D. one thousandninehundred and twelve.

HOWARD O. MARMON. [Lt-s] Witnesses: j FRANK A. FAHLE, MAY LAYDEN.

